• Visitors can check out the Forum FAQ by clicking this link. You have to register before you can post: click the REGISTER link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. View our Forum Privacy Policy.
  • Want to receive the latest contracting news and advice straight to your inbox? Sign up to the ContractorUK newsletter here. Every sign up will also be entered into a draw to WIN £100 Amazon vouchers!

Helping a friend of a friend get into C# - good "getting started" resource?

Collapse
X
  •  
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    Helping a friend of a friend get into C# - good "getting started" resource?

    Hi all,

    A friend of a friend is down on his luck; he worked previously in a niche technology (Powerbuilder) and ended up out of work for a long period and in a bad way even to the point of being homeless at one point. He's been unemployed for several years as I understand it and is not only very rusty but totally out of the loop in terms of modern software development.

    He had an interview recently for one of the few Powerbuilder jobs around and the feedback he got was that he needs experience with modern technologies specifically .NET. He is so out of touch he felt this would take expensive training and there would be a barrier to entry buying the tools, so when I told our mutual friend that .NET had free tools these days he was very interested.

    So, I know Visual Studio is free but I'm hoping to find some really good "from the ground up" resources like a blog or tutorials that talk about getting set up with VS, learning C#, etc. I was suggesting doing some open source work could be a great way in but I don't even know how web-savvy he is with being off the grid for some time.

    Can you help me with some resources - online and/or single-volume books I (or our church) might buy for him? Realistically I worry he might be TOO far gone but I want to try and him him the best shot to climb back up.

    Thanks


    ps: No it's not Suity.
    Originally posted by MaryPoppins
    I'd still not breastfeed a nazi
    Originally posted by vetran
    Urine is quite nourishing

    #2
    If you want to get him started on web development with .NET / C#, then working through the tutorials and documentation on Microsoft's own asp.net website is a very good start.

    Some good books for ASP.NET MVC development are:

    Pro ASP.NET MVC
    Professional ASP.NET MVC 5

    And some good reference books on C# in general:

    Essential C# 6.0
    C# 6.0 in a Nutshell

    Comment


      #3
      Thanks. I'm not sure he has any preference but I would guess an old-school developer is probably going to find core .NET (server/desktop) stuff less of a leap than web-dev? I never did a lot of web-dev myself.
      Originally posted by MaryPoppins
      I'd still not breastfeed a nazi
      Originally posted by vetran
      Urine is quite nourishing

      Comment


        #4
        Trouble is PC desktop development (Winforms/WPF) is a dead end, what with Apple, Linux, Android, mobile, tablets, smart appliances and the web browser everywhere.

        How about going the other route, and learn T-SQL + C# and he can become a database developer on SQL Server?

        Alternatively, if he wants good pay, plenty of work, go to college and train as a plasterer, electrician, plumber or similar. Better money than IT in most parts of the UK except that there London.
        Last edited by DimPrawn; 21 December 2015, 13:36.

        Comment


          #5
          Do MS offer a free version of SQL-Server like they do Visual Studio? That's an interesting idea.
          Originally posted by MaryPoppins
          I'd still not breastfeed a nazi
          Originally posted by vetran
          Urine is quite nourishing

          Comment


            #6
            Originally posted by d000hg View Post
            Do MS offer a free version of SQL-Server like they do Visual Studio? That's an interesting idea.
            They do indeed and it's called SQL Server Express.

            Comment


              #7
              Some useful free stuff.

              Learn C# - Free Interactive C# Tutorial

              https://channel9.msdn.com/Series/C-F...lute-Beginners

              Comment


                #8
                Murachs books would be a good start for a beginner
                Socialism is inseparably interwoven with totalitarianism and the abject worship of the state.

                No Socialist Government conducting the entire life and industry of the country could afford to allow free, sharp, or violently-worded expressions of public discontent.

                Comment


                  #9
                  Originally posted by DimPrawn View Post
                  They do indeed and it's called SQL Server Express.
                  Also IBM do DB2 Express-C free for dev etc, (Linux and Windows only - have to pay for Solaris/HPUX and AIX) I kind of like it, my Oracle DBA mates get all superior and say it's crap though!

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Or use MySQL as that gets used on lots of web servers.

                    I found ASP .NET quite hard to get my head around even though I'd already spent 6 months on a C# project.
                    Will work inside IR35. Or for food.

                    Comment

                    Working...
                    X